This is the substack on which Larry is conducting his journalistic experiment.
it’s a Tuesday night in Saratoga Springs, and the City Council meeting stretches into its third hour. Decisions about zoning, budgets, and infrastructure are debated in detail—important discussions, but ones that most residents will never hear. Enter Larry Toole, a tech-savvy civic advocate with an ambitious idea: What if AI could distill these marathon meetings into a 10-minute podcast, easy to digest on a morning commute?
Larry isn’t just asking the question—he’s answering it. Using advanced AI tools, he’s created Saratoga Civic Pulse, a Substack newsletter and podcast that transforms sprawling government meetings into sharp, conversational summaries. Voiced by two AI personas—"Jessica" and "Larry"—these podcasts cut through the noise, spotlighting the most important moments while preserving accuracy.
It’s a bold experiment in civic journalism, and it’s already sparking debate. On his Substack, Larry has been transparent about both the promise and the pitfalls of his approach, even sharing exchanges with skeptics, including this thoughtful dialog with Saratoga Today reporter Thomas Dimopoulos.
The Man Behind the Camera
Larry Toole
Larry isn’t new to solving problems with computers. With a background in healthcare IT, he’s founded and co-founded two healthcare tech companies, worked as a consultant to the New York State Department of Health, and currently advises New York State’s Medicaid program on data analytics.
But Larry’s impact extends beyond tech. As a former board member of Sustainable Saratoga, he helped bring the two-megawatt Spa Solar Park at Weibel Avenue to life. He’s also organized fundraisers for the Saratoga Plan trail system at the Graphite Range Community Forest and currently serves as president of the Saratoga Stryders Running Club.
Now, he’s turning his attention to local journalism—a space he believes is ripe for innovation.
Larry’s AI agent sifts through hours of dialogue, distilling key moments and presenting them in a clear, engaging format.
“Jessica” and “Larry” aren’t human reporters, but they sound close. Their scripted exchanges guide listeners through the main points of each meeting, offering clarity without oversimplification.
If you haven’t listened yet, it’s worth tuning in to hear how seamless and informative these AI-driven summaries can be.
Mining Expert Knowledge with AI
At Smartacus, we share Larry’s belief in the power of human-AI collaboration. On Thursday, January 16, at noon, we’ll host Larry for a live Zoom conversation as part of our evolving AI Showcase series.
Here’s what to expect:
Live Interview with Larry
We’ll host Larry in a Zoom conversation attended by Otter.ai, which will generate a real-time transcript.
AI-Powered Summary
We’ll feed the transcript into ChatGPT with instructions to distill it into a 1,200-word article focusing on key points we’ll identify with Larry.
Expert Review
Larry will review and refine the AI-generated summary.
Publication
The final version will be published on the Smartacus blog.
This streamlined workflow represents a highly efficient and accurate way to “mine” expert knowledge.
We’re delighted to demonstrate our approach with Larry and look forward to hearing his thoughts on it.
Dan Forbush